As the screen size grows and the rest of the chassis shrinks, it becomes increasingly difficult to equip our beloved smartphones with antennas that are able to keep the signal strong and stable. This problem was then amplified by the increased amount of 4G frequencies (and between poco 5G) that the various terminals must support.
The most famous case of smartphones with connectivity problems is probably the one concerning the iPhone 4, in fact many users had difficulty in maintaining a stable line especially during calls. Apple's response to the right criticism of iPhone owners has since become almost a "joke" in the world of electronics, with the company instead blaming users for holding the iPhone 4 in their hand in the wrong way. We are now talking about the distant 2010 and since then many smartphone manufacturers have set to work to avoid this inconvenience poco.
The last company to make known its commitment from this point of view is Xiaomi, which with the Mi MIX 3 has faced several obstacles: the high ratio screen / body has decreased the space available for the antennas, being able to support more 4G networks and finally the magnet sliding mechanism which obviously causes slight interference.
To come to grips with these problems, Xiaomi has adopted 3 countermeasures:
1. Simulation of use
Even before creating real prototypes, Xiaomi used a simulator to be able to understand how the Mi MIX 3 would behave in the various scenarios of use: held horizontally, held vertically, with the slide open and the slide closed. Through the simulator, engineers accumulated data and modified design accordingly.
2. Automatic antenna switch
Thanks to the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and AI (Artificial Intelligence), the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 is able to understand where the smartphone is and change the antennas used automatically to ensure a more stable signal.
3. sensors
The processor, even if performing, can not understand how the smartphone is positioned without the presence of sensors optimized for this task. These sensors signal to the processor how the smartphone is held and whether it is open or closed at that time, so that the processor can act accordingly.
To give you an idea of how this system works in the real world, Xiaomi compared the Mi MIX 3 with what is undoubtedly one of the best smartphones on the market and that costs at least double, we talk about the iPhone XS Max.
As we see in the first image, with tests carried out in an outdoor area without obstacles, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 manages to receive a signal of -68dBm, against the -79dBm of the iPhone XS Max. So let's start with a difference not to be poco in favor of the Mi MIX 3. The same goes for download speeds of 102Mbps for Mi MIX 3 and 50.3Mbps for iPhone XS Max, and uploads at 44.9Mbps for the former and 43.3Mbps for the latter.
By moving indoors, especially inside a shopping mall, the results change enough, but the Mi MIX 3 remains in the lead. The signal inside drops to -81dBm for the Xiaomi smartphone, while the last little gem of Apple reaches a very bad -84dBm. For download and upload speeds we have 41.5 / 11.3Mbps for Mi MIX 3 and 24.5 / 7.0Mbps for XS Max.
Finally, we move underground into a garage and there is a substantial difference here too. In fact, let's go from the XIX-XMUMXDBM of the Mi MIX 86 to the XS Max -3dBm, then a fairly substantial drop. The download speed is then halved on the iPhone by 104Mbps against the 27.2Mbps of the "cinafonino", while the upload remains closer to 57Mbps and 16.5Mbps respectively.
In summary, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 with one of the most innovative designs ever has a better signal than one of the most expensive smartphones on the market. I would say that we can not really complain!
